On August 6, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. the JSO Communications Center received several complaints of a shirtless man walking on Pickett Street wielding a knife. One of the complainants reported that this man, later identified as 29-year-old Juan Johnson, had stabbed a dog and possibly a man as well.
After JSO received the stabbing notification, the shooting officer was dispatched to the scene in the 7600 block of Pickett Street. When the officer arrived, a man and a woman shared that Johnson had stabbed a man and was still on scene. The officer walked into the yard and found the deceased victim motionless on the ground, having suffered multiple apparent stab wounds. Then the officer saw Johnson laying in the vegetation next to a brown building deeper in the yard.
The officer drew his firearm and made several loud, verbal commands to Johnson to show his hands. Rather than complying with the officer’s directives, Johnson mimicked pointing a gun at the officer with his fingers and imitated the sound of a gun firing at the officer while yelling obscenities. Johnson then abruptly jumped to his feet.
In response, the officer yelled at Johnson to get back on the ground. Johnson did not comply. The officer holstered his firearm, transitioned to his taser and then deployed the taser at Johnson. The taser did not appear to affect Johnson and instead Johnson grabbed a nearby metal bucket and threw it at the officer while also charging at the officer.
The bucket struck the officer in the forearm. The officer again armed himself with his firearm and began to back away from Johnson. While backing away, the officer fired at Johnson. Johnson was struck by the gunfire and fell to the ground.
Full Briefing:
Officer Rodriguez arrived on the scene as backup. Officer Rodriguez assisted the shooting officer in handcuffing Johnson. Once Johnson was safely in custody, Officer Rodriguez called for rescue to provide medical care for both Johnson and the stabbing victim. While the officers awaited the arrival of rescue, they both provided emergency medical care to Johnson.
Rescue arrived soon thereafter and transported Johnson. Johnson was pronounced deceased at an area Hospital. The stabbing victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Crime scene detectives responded to the scene and located Johnson’s knife. Johnson serrated, military-style knife was found in the bushes near the body of a dead dog, next to where Johnson had been laying when the officer first arrived at the scene. The dog’s body had multiple puncture wounds, consistent with the dog having been stabbed multiple times.
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